The whining... I have a weird thing going on with my back. Shooting pains along the inside of my right shoulder blade. It started on Saturday, got worse on Sunday and Monday, no signs of improvement today. I know I'm kind of a baby, but at times I've been walking around the house making whimpering noises.
Yesterday I managed to get a clinic appointment. The young doctor patiently explained why he didn't think I was having a heart attack (all I could think about was the articles I've read saying that a heart attack symptom unique to women is upper back pain - yep, I'm a baby and a hypochondriac). He ended up giving me a referral to physical therapy. I'm not sure if the PT will be useful since it sounds like their program is to focus on strengthening back, neck, and core muscles. With all of the yoga and pilates and group exercise classes, I feel like I am actually pretty strong, but we'll see. My first appointment is Thursday morning.
He also wrote a prescription for lidocaine patches. Then I went to Walgreens and they said it was held up for insurance approval. 😡 In frustration, I bought a box of Red Hots and a bag of Bugles instead. Later on, HWD was out and about and volunteered to stop in and buy some of the weaker non-prescription patches. I tried one today - the patch in combo with a mid-day dose of Tylenol had seemingly no effect whatsoever.
Surprisingly, what did briefly make me feel better was a short yoga session. So I guess I'll be alternating between doing yoga and lying in bed on a heating pad.
The news... my first trip with HWD! His parents bought a new car and kindly offered to give him their old one. I don't know how old it is but it's got to be better than what he's driving now. So we're going to fly out to California for Thanksgiving and then drive the new (old) car back. It will be a pretty brief visit with his parents because we figure it's three days to drive back to MN. It'll be interesting to see if we get on each others' last nerve being stuck in a car together for three days. 😬
I sure hope the back improves before election judge duty next Tuesday - I can't imagine a 15 hour shift feeling like this.
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I can't believe the Bugles didn't help! Maybe Doritos or Goldfish next time.
There's something about unhealthy snacks when you're feeling sorry for yourself...
@smartasswoman It's called "comfort food" for a reason!
Find out what food(s) are causing it and clean out your colon. Then there's the thought stress patterns and being used by nasty astral entities through alcohol and drug use, or someone into the black arts.
There is a tendon out off his place in the upper part of your right arm and perhaps also one just left of your right shoulder blade in the middle next to your spine.
Hmmm, maybe!
That hat rocks... too bad you can't wear it during election duty! and... Wow, three days in a car! THAT'S a test!
I'm sure you'll come out with a solid B+
A stretch I saw on youtube for that type of pain goes something like this... sit on a chair with a big pillow on your lap. Bend forward over the pillow (it rounds your back) as far as you can and take long, deep breaths. The jist of it was that by having the pillow in front of your ribs/diaphragm/lungs, the deep breaths will give more of an expansion to back of your torso and the muscles there. YMMV
I have plenty of red white and blue yarn left, so maybe for next year I need to just knit a Stars and Stripes hat to wear at the polls.
I'll have to give that stretch a try. I just returned from the PT, he gave me a number of exercises. Many of which I am already regularly doing in yoga class. 🤷🏻♀️ But we'll see how it goes.
I hope your back pain disappears as soon as it appeared.
I'm now dreading the outcome of the 5th!
The waiting is horrible, isn’t it? I did read an article saying K’s staff are now cautiously optimistic. But I worry that all of the so-called undecideds are just people who aren’t willing to admit they can’t vote for a woman.
@smartasswoman The mood music here, or at least what I read and hear, is the opposite. K's momentum has stalled. Surely there can't be too many undecideds left now; it seems all about mobilising the vote which I know the Democrats are quite good at.
I understood the assignment!
Thank you!
Hope you are soon pain-free again. My favourite witticism about hypochondria is an epitaph on a gravestone: "See, I told you it was serious"
Love it! 😄
You were probably price gouged for your red hots!
Oh, undoubtedly! Everything is so expensive at Walgreens.
Back pains truly pains. Take care of self
Thanks nick. It seems to be improving very slowly.
Hope your pain is getting better 🤗
Maybe a teensy bit. My back actually felt decent when I got up this morning - about 20 minutes later my back finally woke up and started twinging. 😕
I had unexplained scapular pain some yrs ago. Acupuncture fixed it. I was amazed at the success. Never been a fan of voodoo medicine.
I’m a bit leery of both chiropractors and acupuncture, but if this keeps up for much longer I’m guessing I might become a lot more open to experimentation! 😂
@smartasswoman friend of mind loves it and recommended it. I was leery too. Glad I did it. Amazed at results
So you're going to have PT (physical therapy) followed by an extended PTT (personal trip time) with HWD? Throw in an election and it's going to an interesting November for you. I've been having some problems with my lower back, DrS says it's my SC joint, (and yes I trust his diagnosis even though his specialty was anesthesia. I'm going to try out his personal trainer who is also a chiropractor before I resort to pain pills or surgery. Hope you get some relief before the extended car trip, not sure at this point I could do 3 long days in a car.
I don’t think I could do three days in a car right now either…not without a rest stop once an hour to do yoga. I’m hoping it’s improved by then - I can’t imagine four more weeks of this! I hope the personal trainer can get you fixed up. I truly do believe that movement is medicine.
I hope your back problem is nothing serious and that you have a good trip to California, also good luck on election day.
Thank you. We have a lot of people doing early voting so I’m predicting it’s not going to be overly busy next Tuesday.
I am so sorry about your back. I like using the freeze creams on shallow pains. Though if it was heart related the freeze stuff wouldn't help. Hopefully the PT people will be able to narrow down the cause.
Hugs!!
Ah yes, I have some Biofreeze, that might be worth a try! I also have an NSAID cream that I occasionally use on an arthritic toe - but the doc wasn't OK with me using that on my back (NSAID's are a no-no with blood thinners - he said the amount of cream for a toe is OK, but not the amount to cover a big portion of my back).
I'm sorry about the pain. I might have opted for chocolate out of frustration, but that would surprise no one! Lol. So...a trip with HWD...did I miss a post or two? I had thought this was a temporary living thing, but I'm liking hearing maybe it's more...
It's still evolving, haha. The major hurdle at this point is that his ex isn't OK with their daughter spending time with us...so if he wants to spend time with daughter he has to drive to ex's house 25 miles away. Ex wants to meet me before she gives the OK (understandable) but schedules haven't allowed.
Anyway, IF his ex is OK with me and IF his daughter then feels comfortable spending time at my place, I think it could become more permanent.
Well dang it, I wrote a long explanation and it’s disappeared. Nutshell version, yes it does seem to be trending to not be temporary. 😊
@smartasswoman I think the longer explanation showed back up...I'm happy for you. And I didn't restrict my ex from having my kids be with his honey...and legally here I wouldn't have been able to, but I did insist on meeting and talking to her.
I see I missed HWD's age then too...or he had a child late in life. But living together...?...I'm seeing someone now too, and neither of us wants it to be a live-in deal...it's only been a couple of months, but that's more than I've had with someone that actually wants to "date" since before my ex!
@MyNameIsKay HWD is 55, so yes I think his second daughter was relatively late (she’s in high school now).
I was pretty content with our routine of seeing each other once a week. And could probably adjust if things went back to that. It is pretty financially advantageous for him to live with me though, so I don’t think he would be motivated to move out.
@MyNameIsKay and great news that you’re seeing someone! 😃
@smartasswoman ...he's actually a blogger from here, and we seem very well suited.
Hope you get better and the trip goes well.
Thank you!
So PT is in my family and yes i believe it can help. Yoga is the same concept at PT. So both can be beneficial otherwise sex can cure all. Lol.
I'll tell my partner about that last part, I'm sure he'll bee on board.
@smartasswoman if he isnt he's a fool!!!
It's been a while since I've been on a road trip. I hope your back is up to it.
Hmmm... what an adventure it will be.
So many movies I can think of: several involve cliffs, and a few others wound up with...
... never mind.
There's a whole bunch of haunted motels on the roads you'll be travelling: pop into at least one.
Nerves? Three days?
Are you going for two doubles or one king? 😶
And popcorn and fun food... and games: "I spy with my little eye..."
Oh... for f ## k's sake. Can I come? 🤗
Afoot and light-hearted, I would take to the open road, healthy, free, the world... up until Minnesota... before me.
That's a good point, if this doesn't clear up it's hard to imagine I'll be able to tolerate three days in a car. Maybe HWD's daughter will get my plane ticket.
A king size bed would be a real luxury since we are currently sharing a queen. Two doubles is probably the best plan since six nights out of seven, I get really restless halfway through the night and move to the second bedroom across the hall.
That would be quite a buddy movie - Paul, HWD, and smarty. I think you might want to get out before Nebraska, I hear it's awfully boring.
Good luck on the trip too.
Oh boy, I hope your back feels better soon
Thanks hon. I had empathy for your back problems before, but now I have SUPER empathy.
Wow....Smarty....thats alot...hard to think or function when one is in pain. Hope they get the insurance worked out for the stronger patches. You don't have a lot of time b4 election day., The trip to Cali sounds fun. Poz thoughts now. Sending healing vibes your way ~
Yes, exactly, I'm finding it pretty hard to focus on anything (even answering blog comments, haha!). Thanks for the healing vibes. ❤️
Shingles? Sure hope not - THAT is painful!!
It's a good test for sure - parents and the 3 day drive.
I don't think you can wear that hat while serving.
I hope not too. No rash so far. But the pain is so intense, now I really am wondering.
And yes, I'm well aware I can't wear that hat while I'm election judging! 😃
Random shot in the dark about your shooting pains...maybe Shingles is lurking? ?? With all of the stress these past few (seemingly) hundred years or so of election activity has got you extemely stressed out. I had it several years ago and it started with a tingling itch on my left shoulder blade and ended with awful shooting pains in my left arm and hand/fingers.
That's an interesting theory. I don't have a blistering rash anywhere so far, but I do have a few hives on my neck. It would kind of fit with how severe the pain is when I haven't really done anything to make that part of my body so sore.
I did have the Shingrix vaccinations, though, and those are supposedly 97% effective for people with non-compromised immune system.
Do not wear that hat on election day. You are supposed to be non partisan. I like the hat though.
Oh, I'm WELL aware of that! 😊